


Oath

by ThornedDream



Category: Incarceron Series - Catherine Fisher
Genre: Gen, One Shot, nothing graphic but the concepts are dark, rated teen for mild descriptions of blood and vague descriptions of gruesome deaths
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-16 07:52:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11824311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThornedDream/pseuds/ThornedDream
Summary: An Anonymous on Tumblr requested a one-shot of Finn's Oath with Keiro in the Prison! I was happy to provide.





	Oath

Oathbrothers.

When the kid named Keiro first proposed the idea to Finn, he wasn’t sure what to expect.

“It’s like a secret handshake!” the blond tried to explain, not that it helped much. Finn had never shared a secret handshake with anyone before.

He stared blankly ahead, lost as the other boy demonstrated with his hand through the air. Fingers moved on command in patterns which Finn had never seen before, and his arm twisted and turned in a precise skill which had likely been practiced. It was a silly display, meant to be a joke, but still impressive all the same.

When the kid noticed Finn’s blank staring, he dropped his hand to his waist and frowned defensively. “What? You don’t want to be my oathbrother? Is that it?”

Dark eyes blinked beneath brown waves of dirty hair. “I don’t not want to be your oathbrother.” It was the truth, but a careful one. Finn didn’t know enough about this whole ordeal to formulate one definitive opinion over it all.

Keiro scoffed as his triangle nose scrunched up at the bridge. He was frustrated. “You’re confusing, Finn. You use those clever words and big eyes to weasel your way out of problems…” Then the frown was gone, replaced with a confident smirk which was probably seen too often by the others. “That’s why I want you. Think about it! With your words and my sword, we would be unstoppable!”

Finn could feel his lips pinch into a pout, and in a whine he asked, “That’s what this is about?” Power and schemes? Domination? Attack strategies?

“Well, yeah. Mostly.” Keiro shrugged, blunt but honest.

Finn’s pout grew into a full frown, and he looked down at the filthy rusted floor beneath his feet. Right, that’s how things were here in the Prison. Especially among the Comitatus. He had only been there two months, but he learned that it’s killed or be killed, and whoever can’t keep up is left behind. You have to keep on your toes and stay ahead of the team if you want to survive. Always.

But there was something which made little sense and troubled Finn. If Keiro was so set on combat and being the top of his game, then… “How come you haven’t found anyone else yet?”

Keiro paused, then sighed and closed his eyes, bitter amusement washing over him. “No one else in this bloody place can keep up.”

Finn raised a round eyebrow, knowing that was only half the truth. The old man named Gildas had told him how no one else would put up with Keiro’s arrogance and attitude. Finn was new and he hadn’t known Keiro for as long as anyone else. His patience was young, and that was likely the reason Keiro jumped on the chance to get close to him.

But still, despite this, Finn had doubts. “But I don’t know if I can keep up.” He had only just started learning how to use a sword, and he still spooked too easily.

Keiro shook his head, then walked forward to pat Finn’s shoulder. “No, you’ll be alright. You can learn, and besides: you have that word trick I was talking about. We could use that.”

Finn returned his attention back to the ground, then nodded his head once. “That…- yeah, okay. You’re right.”

Satisfied with his success, Keiro raised a brow, then grinned wider. “So you’ll think about it?”

“Yeah, I’ll think about it.”

* * *

And he did. He thought about it plenty while he lay awake in a smaller cell of the Comitatus Chambers. It was one of few individual cells to house one person without a brother, as opposed to the typical cell with two bunks.

That would be one benefit to becoming Keiro’s oathbrother… lightsout wouldn’t have to be spent alone. Noises that clamored around shook his nerves, and the agonized wails kept him up. When he did occasionally chance a few moments to sleep, he was plagued with nightmares about fire hair, silver guns, and falling forests.

He chewed on the inside of his chapped lip, wondering how he even knew what a forest was.

Regardless, that’s all he really wanted out of such a bond: trust and friendship. Comfort. But no one else here seemed to share that sentiment. It was always, “Who do you fight best with?” and “Which match would help you bring in the most plunder?”

Finn rolled over onto his side, facing the wall and turning his back towards the rest of the cell. The chambers. The entire prison itself. He hated it all, and grumbled under his breath.

Very well. Fine. If Finn’s sweet eyes and clever tongue would match with Keiro’s strength and force, then so be it. Keiro’s skill would teach and protect Finn, and Finn’s patience would give Keiro the oathbrother he had been hoping for.

He made his decision, and it would be shared at lightson.

* * *

A few days after his decision, the ceremony began in the later hours, when the halls were dimming but hadn’t yet reached lightsout. A large fire was ignited in the pit of Jormanric’s cell, and as Winglord he overlooked all celebrations- this being no exception.

Food and drink was shared generously, not because of availability but rather because of the rare companionship spread by the occasion.

And no matter how scattered the food, the merriment was still plentiful. Cheer, laughter, and song, all rose up to bounce off the iron plated walls. For just one night, conflict and battles were forgotten in light of brotherhood. Among grinning faces there even seemed to be traces of… friendship.

Everyone knew it would end at next lightson. They would go on with the next day and return to their violent ways, but for now they could find relative peace.

Finn smiled as he watched a set of four companions trying their best to dance together by the fire pit. They were having the grandest time fumbling and laughing, and so for this reason, Finn couldn’t bring himself to pity their drunken state. They were happy, and so he was happy.

There was one point in the evening when his destined oathbrother came to offer a drink for him to enjoy as well, but Finn ultimately refused with a polite shake of his head.

And this didn’t trouble Keiro at all. With how limited their luxuries were, it was in fact a gift. “More for me,” he said with a shrug before bringing the cup to his own lips.

“Are you sure you should be drinking before our oath?” Finn asked, a sliver of concern reaching through his voice. “I heard the process can be a bit of a challenge…”

“Don’t worry about me. I can handle myself fine,” Keiro assured after wiping froth from his upper lip.

Well, that was one of the many things different between them. Since entering the Comitatus, Finn had only tried drinking once. It was a meager cup, but it had him in a dazed buzz just minutes later. Keiro could hold his alcohol, but Finn could not. It was a fortunate circumstance, considering Keiro was the one who actively drank. Not Finn.

It wasn’t long, however, until the brunette’s thoughts were interrupted by the blond’s words. “They seem to be having a great time.” Keiro laughed beneath his drink, watching the squad by the fire with their clumsy footwork, then asked, “Wanna go try dancing with them?”

Finn’s eyebrows rose high, and he quickly shook his head, rejecting Keiro’s offer. He wasn’t skilled at dancing and he didn’t want to make a fool of himself. He was perfectly content just observing the others.

Keiro seemed to be disappointed, but said nothing more on the offer. Instead he tucked his emptied mug into his belt, then wandered off in his typical confident stride. Finn watched the brilliant scarlet color of his coat between the drab greys and browns of the crowd.

* * *

When the time came for their Oath, Finn couldn’t stop the shaking in his hands. He had no reason to be nervous; this was a good thing. This would ensure his survival. This would keep him safe.

He had to do this.

A half-circle had been parted among the now-silent crowd, right next to the fire pit, and this was where Keiro and Finn were brought to kneel. They were face-to-face, and watched each other as the Sapient named Gildas painted stripes of black muddy paint over their features.

Apparently, these were the patterns of halls and chambers throughout different parts of the Prison, copied from the Sapient’s maps. Finn couldn’t tell if that was the truth, since he never saw them himself, but it was still ever fascinating to watch the contrast of the dark paint on Keiro’s bright skin and beneath his crisp blue eyes.

When the painting was finished, the two rose back onto their feet and stood aside, making room for the next few pairs of young oathbrothers-to-be. Gildas worked carefully, giving each boy distinctive marks. His boney fingers were old, but still ever accurate and skilled. Finn was impressed.

When all pairs were lined up and prepared for the next step, they moved on to leave the Winglord’s cell, climbing out of the Comitatus Chambers through ladders and tunnels. It was the first time he left since he entered those halls.

Where they were going was away from the cells they resided in, and they had to be swift if they didn’t want to be stranded during the lock-down of lightsout. The Beetles and Spiders would make little work out of them, and then they would surely become “Prison food,” as Finn heard one inmate whisper.

That was a stupid idea, of course. Incarceron was one living being, and it had  _already_ consumed them all.

In the borderlands of the Comitatus, edging close to Civicry territory, was a miserable red wall of gears and chains. It rivaled the heights of towers- of castles.

Finn scratched the back of one hand. Did the others even know what castles were?

The gears at the bottom were largest and slowest, and rising up to the the impossible ceiling they gradually became smaller and faster. Behind the gears, Finn saw a man-sized hole in the wall, about forty feet up above their heads.

The challenge for each pair was this: help each other climb up the teeth of the turning gears, then quickly dive for the tunnel before being crushed. The first part was relatively simple. If you slip or linger, all you lose is a few fingers or toes. The second part was the true challenge. If you miscalculate when you should dive between the teeth, your entire body will be crushed between merciless iron. Incarceron himself will chew you up like meal.

Finn shuddered at the thought, but Keiro paid this no heed. “We’ll go first,” he declared boldly, then snatched Finn’s hand and led him forward.

“What?” the brunette whispered in a sharp hiss. “Are you mad?”

“No,” his blond friend answered cooly, then gripped onto the axle of the first gear. “I just know what I’m doing, and we have a reputation to start building.”

Finn grumbled, then crossed his arms, suddenly questioning why he chose Keiro of all people as his brother. “Really? How can you be so confident?”

Keiro smirked, then used the axis to hoist himself into arm’s reach of the second gear. When there was an opening between the teeth, he slipped his hand in, then climbed with a shove to the second axis. “I’ve been coming to watch these Oaths for a few years now, and that’s how I learned to climb these gears. Just- come on, trust me.” With a hand outstretched, he offered help to his shorter companion.

Finn glared at it with anxiety and hesitation, but ultimately decided to take it and let it guide him upward.

“Use the axes as resting points,” Keiro grunted between the breaths needed to climb, “and wait to use the teeth only just after the clearance starts. Never start in the middle of a clearance.”

Finn nodded his head, climbing just beneath Keiro’s heels and already exhausted. “Studying Oaths, huh? You’ve really wanted a brother for a long time, haven’t you?”

But Keiro was silent and gave no response.

The challenge only got worse the more they progressed. The gears gradually shrunk to the size of one man instead of three, and their speed became faster. They had to move quickly to survive, and they were fortunate enough to make it without slipping. One fumble, however, made Finn falter for a moment, and Keiro had to reach back and steady him.

When they reached the tunnel, Finn could feel its breeze just beyond the turning gears before his face. It gave him the most sudden urge to just jump through and get this trying process all over with, but he knew better. He had to wait for the right moment… whenever that was.

“So what now?” he asked, watching Keiro’s observant stare.

“There’s a knick in that bigger gear to the right,” Keiro explained while his shoulders worked to shake off his coat, discarding it down to the ground. There was no wind to toss it into the teeth of the gears, so it made a straight descent and landed safely in the middle of the companions below. “When that knick lines up with the grey pipe there, then there’s a clearing just big enough for one of us to get through.”

That seemed simple enough, but how simple could it truly be, considering their lives were at stake?

Keiro decided to demonstrate, and in one blink of Finn’s eyes, he was gone.

“Keiro?!” Finn called past the gears. “Did you make it?”

“Yeah,” Keiro called back. Finn could see his silhouette, breathing heavy and sitting in the tunnel. “Jump. I’ll grab you and pull you through.”

Finn nervously swallowed a breath, then looked around frantically.

Keiro tried to urge him on by saying, “Remember: when the knick lines up with the grey pipe.”

That did little to ease his nerves, but he had to listen if he wanted to get through this.

“Trust me!”

Finn shut his eyes tight for a few moments, then finally decided to watch for the cue. Like Keiro said, the knick lined up with the pipe, and then Finn leapt through. Keiro snatched his arms and gave him better speed, and Finn made it without even a single scratch from the gear teeth. He stared, amazed and breathless, at the obstacle they successfully passed.

But then a new dreadful thought crossed his mind, and he turned to look at Keiro with wide eyes. “Will we have to do that again to get out of here?” And worse: leaving through the other side would mean no knick or pipe to watch, and they would be leaping off a cliff rather than into a tunnel.

Keiro laughed with a heavy, exasperated breath, then stood and patted the rust from his pants. “Oh bloody hell, no! There’s a second tunnel that leads out of the place we’re going to. We’ll use that to leave.”

“What?” Finn deflated even more. “Then why did we-?”

“It was a test, Brother, and we passed.” Keiro grinned and helped Finn to his feet, then led him along the tunnel towards a dim light ahead.

Finn crossed his arms and stared bitterly at the ground, kicking stones as he went.

When they got to a chamber in the tunnel path, Finn saw Gildas sitting on a boulder beside a lit torch in the wall. From the light of this torch was displayed curtains of chains that were strung from the ceiling, each link the size of a man. They dipped low like tapestries- velvet blue tapestries with silver eagles embroidered with the finest threads.

Finn rubbed his eye, feeling a mild sting grow beneath it. He tried his best not to ruin the face paint.

When the other pairs of inmates arrived, Keiro and Finn learned that only two had crushed their fingers between Incarceron’s teeth. They left a bloody trail behind them, but bandaged themselves up with whatever fabric they could find, and were determined to move forward.

“Better numbers than the last Oath,” Keiro whispered to Finn.

The last Oath? If this was good, how did the last Oath go?

Finn didn’t ask.

With everyone regrouped, Gilas brought himself to stand with his staff, then led them all to the parted clearing between the two curtains of endless chains.

“Keiro,” he grunted beneath his aged white beard, “since you and your brother were the first to pass, you will take your Oath now.”

Keiro smiled an excited and crooked grin, then rushed forward with Finn shortly behind. All too suddenly, Finn’s feet felt as heavy as lead.

When they reached the point in the center of the chains, Keiro and Finn turned to face each other. An expression of confident determination met one of wary exhaustion.

Gildas took a dagger from his belt, then brought its handle into the joined grips of Keiro and Finn, hands resting over and beneath each other. The naked blade was pointed down as a symbol of peace and alliance.

Then the old Sapient stepped away, and Keiro and Finn were free to begin their Oath.

Keiro spoke first, clearing his throat before he began. Eyes sharp as ice stared through Finn’s soul, and beneath it he felt a new and inexplicable sense of guardianship.

“Through the paths and voices of the Prison, curses and lies damn the inmates. But above it all, I promise you no greater truth than this: I swear my blade to you, I swear my blood to you, and I swear my brotherhood to you. Where you fall I will raise you up, where you lead I will follow, and where you linger I will remain. Finn, you are my brother as I am yours, and this is bound by oath.”

With each word Keiro looked more triumphant, and he was practically glowing when he finished. Like a sun… a sun on a perfectly clear day. Trees hang overhead, and yellow bees hummed all around him.

Now it was Finn’s turn to speak his lines, but he couldn’t hear himself over the buzzing of the bees. He was certain every word was correct, since Keiro insisted on practice until both could say their lines perfectly. He couldn’t remember how many times the eager blond insisted on another rehearsal, and he couldn’t tell if he was remembering the words correctly.

Keiro’s grin never faltered, so he assumed he was making no mistakes. Dry lips moved with practiced precision until memory told him it was over.

He felt a sharp pain move across his palm, and then a pooling red warmth. A strong, calloused hand gripped his own, and he felt more of the red slimy warmth added to his. The hand pulled him forward, deeper into the canopy of overhanging chains, and then he was brought to one that dipped only four feet above the ground.

Right, he remembered what he had to do here. He had to duck and then cross under, but at the same time as Keiro, and with their bleeding hands still locked together.

Keiro turned him so they could face each other, and Finn saw he was speaking. The buzzing was gone, but he still couldn’t hear anything. He would have to settle with reading lips.

He saw a countdown of, “One… two… three!” and then on command he ducked beneath the chains with Keiro, finally completing their Oath.

But unlike Keiro, he had no time to celebrate. As soon as they passed through, Finn felt every nerve in his body shut down, and he collapsed onto the ground below.

“Finn?! Finn!”

Then black. Emptiness. Nothing.

* * *

When Finn awoke again, his skin was tingling, his lips were dry as ever, and his eyes were unfocused. He brought his hands to his face to rub into it, and in doing so he discovered that someone had already wiped away the paint.

He was in a new bed inside a cell he had never been in before, and there were clean sheets over his clammy body.

Finn struggled to turn his head, and when he did he found Keiro seated in a second bed across the cell. He had his head down, golden bangs hiding his face as he focused on sharpening his sword.

“Keiro?” Finn’s voice asked in an ugly croak. “Where am I?”

Keiro finally looked up from the sword in his grip, then greeted Finn with a handsome smile. “You’re in your new cell, Brother.”

Finn blinked, trying hard to refocus his eyes. “We got through the Oath?”

“Yeah, but what was all that back there?” Keiro stood and sheathed his blade. “For a second, I thought you fainted. I wouldn’t blame you; it must have been overwhelming to take an oath with someone as amazing as me.”

Finn watched with lowered brows, unimpressed by Keiro’s upward nose and cocky smile. But then it all disappeared in place of a new emotion: slightly confused, slightly aggravated, and slightly… concerned.

“But your body started doing funny things, and then I knew you didn’t just faint. Gildas told me you were having a seizure, and I had to wait for you to finish before carrying you back.”

A seizure? That had never happened before. But then he recalled the different images fading through his mind, and…

“I think what I saw were memories, Keiro.”

“What?” the taller blond asked, not sure how to take this theory. “But you said you can’t remember anything. You said your memories are gone.”

“I know!” Finn was suddenly frustrated, but he tried to bring it down. “And they still are. But I was getting… quick images. Flashes. I don’t know how to explain it.”

Keiro thought for a moment, then asked, “Can you walk?”

“I think so… why?”

“I want to take you to see Gildas. He knows more about this seizure stuff than I do.”

Finn waited, then nodded his head and shoved the sheets off himself to stand from the bed. His first step was a stumble, but he soon got over it.

With his brother at his side, Finn left the cell which he would now share with Keiro, and together they walked in search of the hanging cage which housed Gildas and all his books.

“This is gonna be some weird curse stuff,” Keiro grumbled under his breath, “isn’t it?”


End file.
